Aberdeen, Scotland - Helideck Analytics Ltd. is pleased to announce the acquisition of the Helideck Certification Agency (HCA), the world's recognised leading provider of inspection and certification services for offshore helidecks. HCA is based in Aberdeen, Scotland and has satellite offices in Norwich, England and Bergen, Norway.

HCA is responsible for the inspection and certification of all helidecks on offshore vessels and installations operating in UK waters. In addition, the Company provides services to major oil companies, platform constructors, helicopter operators, shipping registries, and national civilian aviation authorities worldwide.

HCA also provides friction testing, specialist training and verification and consulting across all aspects of helideck safety. HCA was founded in 1997, by the UK helicopter industry in response to increasing oversight by the UK regulator. Prior to its acquisition by Helideck Analytics Ltd, HCA had been jointly owned by subsidiaries of Bristow Group, Inc. and CHC Group Ltd.

The Helideck Certification Agency (HCA) is the world's leading authority on all matters relating to the safe and compliant operation of helicopter landing areas - onshore, offshore and afloat. Our staff have extensive commercial helicopter operational experience as pilots or crewmembers.

Liaising on a regular basis with national civilian aviation authorities throughout Europe, shipping registries, major helicopter companies and oil companies worldwide, we are ideally positioned to serve as the inspection and certification body for all helicopter landing areas. We also act in an advisory capacity for international clients, drawing on our wide and varied experience to offer consultation and training services.

The HCA is responsible for the inspection and certification of all helidecks on offshore vessels and installations operating in UK and Norwegian waters - over 700 helidecks in total - utilising the criteria in UK CAP437 or Norwegian Civil Aviation Regulations BSL D 5-1 as the basis for our inspections. We also inspect and certify helidecks on a global basis for clients using nationally recognised criteria such as CAP437 or the international standard for helidecks as laid out in International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) publication Annex 14 Volume 2.

The main safety concerns on any helideck are landing area size and obstructions, but crew training, turbulence criteria and marking/lighting are also important.

Key areas of inspections carried out by HCA include:

landing area size, surface, lighting and markings

helideck equipment, including rescue and fire-fighting arrangements

turbulence created by superstructure and/or exhausts

crew training

carriage of dangerous goods by air (where appropriate)

After a satisfactory inspection, we will issue a Helicopter Landing Area Inspection Report (HLAIR), and a Helicopter Landing Area Certificate (HLAC). Our certificate is recognised by the majority of regulatory authorities and helicopter companies around the world.